In this episode, Michelle Dickinson, the author of Breaking Into My Life, tells us about the struggles and pain she experienced as a child living with her mom who was suffering from Bipolar disorder.

She shares how she sacrificed her childhood life to support her mom who was abusive because of her illness. At a young age, her confidence, self-esteem, patience, and love was challenged because she was never the family's priority, but it was her mom and the focal point was her mom's illness.

"If you are in a mess right now, just go on, pick yourself up and never lose hope. Your current situation will fade away in no time. Just hold on to your dreams, be yourself & believe in yourself. Learn the lessons from your struggles & failure because it will soon be an inspirational message to the people around you. "

Show Highlights

Resource

Breaking Into My Life

18percent.org

3 Exceptional Takeaways

• Make your mess into a message


• If you can't see your own value, you basically are inviting other people to do the same


• Don't be afraid of therapy. Don't be afraid to tell people you're in therapy.

Show Notes

2:15 - Michelle tells about her Memoir

** In February of last year, I released my Memoir which is a capture of my childhood growing up with a bipolar mother in an effort to humanize mental health and raise awareness and tell my story from the lens of a child caregiver

3:49 - What inspired and motivated her to write her book

** The whole thing that propelled me to write my book was being on the Tedx J&J stage. So that was where I first told my story and I got some amazing public speaking and coaching from its head coach that really I think has served me well, and I'm excited to see where this goes.

6:54 - Michelle reading the excerpt from her website

** Yeah. Sure. I mean it's there's a reason why I chose that as the excerpt from my website and so here let me share it with you. So Mom has been sick for the last few weeks. Our house has slipped from control into complete chaos, and I've moved from a sense of relief to a sense of Burden when Mom began her downward slide.

10:24 - She shares how difficult it was for her to sacrifice her childhood to support her mom.

** Yeah. Sure. My childhood was different, you know most kids have you know their stuff that happens in your childhood? Like my entire childhood was like painted by the backdrop that my mother was the priority in her illness was the focal point.

14:00 - How she turned her struggles into success

** I have to fast forward because like I couldn't see this at the time. I have to fast-forward to the back of my book where I have this epilogue where I highlight how growing up with someone like my mom actually serves me now.

15:42 - Make your mess your message

** I have a colleague that once said to me from your mess make your message. And I think that that is really the reality for me

17:20 - What are the benefits of exercising?

** Yeah, I believe in Fitness as a vehicle as advice to help you feel better.

19: 20 - Her journey in writing her book.

** Exactly. And so it's something that led me to okay. I'm going to write a book

19:50 - How she remembers her mom?

** Mmm. Yeah, you know I had this image of my mom before she had been diagnosed with bipolar. I think she probably was first affected by her illness when I was 4 or 5.

23:45 - Strategies that she can recommends to people who are in the same situation to what she grew up in.

** So, yeah, first of all the parent that isn't mentally ill the parent of the child in that relationship needs to make sure that child is getting the emotional mental

27:43 - The tool you can use to talk about your feelings anonymously inside a community

** Yeah, so and that's hard right if they don't want to get help if they haven't been formally diagnosed.

39:00 - What's so important about maintaining self-love about creating a good sense of self-esteem?

** * Oh, yeah, I mean, so that's something that I always struggled with my mom who wasn't there in my corner reminding me that I could have and do anything I wanted and that I was worthy of my dreams and that I was beautiful.

** And because if you can't see your own value, you basically are inviting other people to do the same. So I think something as simple as just like looking in the mirror and like reminding yourself. What are those attributes you're really proud of that are uniquely you that you only can bring to the table knowing and being present

Originally recorded 2/18/2019

Special Guest: Michelle Dickinson.